Machine for applying and sealing closures on containers



Nov. 18, 1952 H. E. STOVER 2,613,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS Filedsept. 20, 1946 15 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY Nov. 18,1952 STQVER 2,618,425,

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 t 1.5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Nov. 18, 1952 H. E. STOVER 18, 2

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 1s Sheets-Sheet :5

\ I v i I INVEN'IOR.

flurry Jim/er I ml. 11 I m I hwwg,

i g ATTORNEY Nov. 18, 1952 H. E. STOVER 6 8,

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURESON CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 15. she'ets-sheet 4 INVEN'I'OR.

flurry 12 5201/ ATTORNEY Nov. 18, 1952 STQVER 2,618,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES, ON CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 r 15 Sheets-Sheet 5 H. E. STOVER.

Nov. 18, 1952 MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 15 Sheets-Sheet 6 \NNNN NOV. 18, 1952 STQVER 2,618,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 15 Sheets-Sheet 7 Ill/111 INVEN'I'OR.

Hairy Z7 3/01/0 ATTORNEY Y Nov. 18, 1952 H. E.'STOVER 2,518,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES 0N CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 7 l5 Sheets-Sheet 8 Y i i3 4 I INVEN'I'OR.

Harry E Sip qr A TTOR NE Y Nov. 18, 1952 H. E. STOVER MACHINE FOR APPLY ING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 15 Sheets-Sheet?" 9 H. E! STOVER Nov. 18, 1952 MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS 15 Sheets-Sheet 10 I INVE N TOR.

flurry/119W JTTOIRNEY Nov. 18, 1952 H. E. STOVER 2,518,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CQNTA'INERS Filed Sept. 20, 1946 19 $he ets-Sheet 11 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.

.mummlllm MIN I NVE N TOR.

Harry E Sim/(r ATTORNEY Filed Sept. 20. 1946 Nov. 18, 1952 H. E. STOVER 2,618,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS ..l5 Sheets-Sheet l2 \\i INVEN'I'OR. Z19 Iarry EJ701 61 JTTORNEI 15 Sheets-Sheet 13 II N H. E. STOVER MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES 0N CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 20 1946 Nov. 18, 1952 Nov. 18, 1952 H. E. STOVER 2,618,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES 0N CONTAINERS Q Filed Sept. 20, 1946 15 She ts-Sheet 14 INVENTOR.

Harry Z 5 )ITTORNEY N 1952 H. E. STOVER I 2,618,425

MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND SEALING CLOSURES 0N CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 29, 1946 15 sli'eets'vsheet l5 INVENTOR.

Early Z. Ska/er JTTORNEY Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES OFFICE MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND 'SEALHNG CLOSURES ON CONTAINERS Application September 20, 1946, Serial No. 698,124

23 Claims.

The present invention relates to the sealing art and embodies additions to and improvements upon the machine of my prior'application, Ser. No. 579,671 filed in the United States Patent Oflice on February 24, 1945, *now Patent No. 2,529,199, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

Certain of the improvements maybe embodied in sealing machines generally but the preferred embodiment illustrating the invention utilizes vapor for forming a high vacuum in'a container at the time the closure is sealedlto it. The injection of the vapor at and. shortly prior tothe time of sealing reduces the'amount of vapor required, reduces the amountof condensate both inside and outside the package and increases the vacuum Within the package. As described in my prior application, steamisuperheated to a high'temperature is utilized to sterilize the head space and the inside of the closure, to reduce the quantity required, to reduce the amount of resulting condensate, to form a higher vacuum, and Ito otherwise improve the sealing operations.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealing machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for obtaining a high vacuum in a sealed package byutilizing vapor.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for superheating the vapor inj'ected into the containers ata'nd prior to the time of sealing.

Another object of the invention is to provide improvedmeans for eliminating or minimizing the jamming of jars at the entrance to the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for retaining the parts in synchronism and for restoring synchronism when certain parts are stopped without stopping other parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved driving means for the various parts of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved driving means for the helicoid Which guides and spaces the containers passing through the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved drive for the head spacer and the star wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for applying the closures to the containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide resilient means co-operating with a cap placing 2 fork to provide a better setting of a' closure on a container.

Another object of the invention is to provide magnetic means co-operating with the cap applying means to obtain an improved cap placing operation.

Another object of the invention is 'tolprovide an improved superheater for'obtaininghigh temperature steam for injection 'intoithe containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved superheatingmean with a more accurate regulation of steam temperatures.

Other and further objects'of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, .or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention'in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the inventionhas been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming apart of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the machine with the-head spacer mechanism omitted;

Fig. 2 isa top plan view'of the'machine as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of themachine including the head spacing mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view along the line d l of Fig. 2 illustrating the interior of the machine and the drive for various parts thereof;

Fig. 4a is a detailed sectional view illustrating a preferred embodiment of breather;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line '5,-5 of Fig. 4 illustrating a safety feature of the drive for the machine;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view through the base of the machine takenalong the .1ine'66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the heliooid and parts of the-drive therefor;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view illustrating parts of the helicoid drive taken along the line 8.-B of Fig.7;

Fig. 9 is a'horizontal sectional view through the superstructure of the machine taken along the line 99 of Fig. 3 illustrating the drive connections in the superstructure for parts thereof;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view along the line lt-Iii of Fig. 9 illustrating features'of the drive attachment for the cap feed;

Fig. 11 is a sectional View along the line I l-l l 3 of Fig. 9 illustrating features of the drive for the head spacer;

Fig. 12 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view of parts of the head spacer;

Fig. 14 is a top plan view of the cap feed and cap placing means;

Fig. 15 is a sectional view along the line I-I5 of Fig. 14 illustrating the placing of the closure on the container and the injection of vapor therein;

Fig. a is a detailed fragmentary view illustrating closure stops at the bottom of the chute;

Fig. 16 is a sectional view through the cap feed mechanism broken from Fig. 15 for purposes of clarity;

Fig. 17 is an enlarged sectional view of parts of the cap feed;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the cap placing means;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the portion of the machine at the cap placing station taken on the line I9-I9 of Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the pivotally mounted magnet carrying member for co-operating with the applicator fork;

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary perspective view of the machine at the cap applying station;

Fig. 22 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the container actuated trip for feeding closures;

Fig. 23 is a top plan view of one embodiment of superheater;

Fig. 24 is a sectional view through the superheater along the line 24-24 of Fig. 23;

Fig. 25 is a side elevational view of the sealing head for forcing the closures on containers;

Fig. 26 is a vertical sectional view through the sealing head along the line 26-46 of Fig. 25;

Fig. 2'7 is a top plan view of a modified form of means for placing caps on containers;

Fig. 28 is a sectional view along the line 28-48 of Fig. 27 shown extending horizontally for convenience;

Fig. 29 is a top plan view of the preferred embodiment of means for placing closures on containers;

Fig. 30 is a sectional View along the line 303ll of Fig. 29;

Fig. 31 is a sectional view through another form of injector mechanism and superheater there- I for;

Fig. 32 is a vertical sectional view through the superheater illustrated in Fig. 31;

Fig. 33 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the wiring connections for the superheaters and the thermostat therefor; and

Fig. 34 is a side elevational view illustrating the machine directly connected to a filling machine to be used as a unit therewith.

The preferred embodiment of the sealing machine illustrated in the drawings will be described in detail herein under the headings (1) General Description, (2) Frame and Drive, (3) Conveyor and Helicoid, (4) Head Spacer, (5) Cap Feed, (6) Cap Placing Means, (7) Injector-Superheater, (8) Pressure Head, (9) Combination Filling and Sealing, and (10) Operation.

General description As a convenience in understanding the invention, a short description will now be given of the major parts of the machine before giving detailed descriptions thereof. Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, the preferred embodiment of the machine is illustrated with a base I which serves to house the drive in the lower part of the machine and to support a table 2 with its associated mechanisms. A superstructure 4 vertically adjustable with respect to the table carries parts of the machine.

A conveyor 5 extends longitudinally over the table and over the sprockets 6 mounted on the extensions 1 which are secured to the ends of the base I. An adjustable guide rail 8 extends along one side of the conveyor, and a helicoid 9 and adjustable rail I20 along the other side of the conveyor. A device or bumper I0, having resiliently mounted fingers II thereon, and a retarder I2 co-operate with the helicoid 9 in starting the containers through the machine. The conveyor carries the containers into a star wheel I4 which co-operates with the helicoid in holding the containers in upright position as they pass the cap feed I5 and its associated mechanism for placing a cap firmly on the rim of the container. As the container leaves the cap applying means it passes under a sealing head I6 which forces the closure completely down on the container so that the sealed package is ready for la-' belling and shipping.

The forward end of the superstructure 4 has a head spacer I'I mounted thereon with discs which register with and extend into the mouths of the containers passing under the head spacer to displace any excess liquid in them so that each container will be filled substantially to the same level and so that all of the containers will have at least a predetermined head space to facilitate a proper seal and a proper vacuum within the container. As the filled containers are carried away from the spacer on the conveyor they pass under the cap positioning means I 5, also mounted on the superstructure, where a cap is forcefully placed on the rim of the container. Just before the cap is forced down and while one side of the cap is spaced from the rim of the container, steam is injected under the side of the cap until it is applied to the container in order to displace the air therein with vapor and to form a vacuum seal when the vapor condenses. The mechanism I5 preferably applies suflicient pressure to the closure to seat it firmly on the rim of the container and to form a vacuum seal thereon when the vapor within the head spacer condenses, which is practically simultaneous with the placing of the cap firmly on the container. The pressure head I 6 later forces the closure completely down on the container. Preferably the vapor is highly superheated to sterilize the inside of the closure and the head space at the time of sealing and to minimize the amount of steam required and the resulting condensation.

Frame and drive Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 9, a description will now be given of the drive connections to the operative parts of the machine. Other features of the drive connections for the particular parts will be described in more detail in the description of such parts.

The interior of the machine and the drive connections are shown more particularly in Fig. 4, which is a vertical section along the line 44 of Fig. 2, in Fig. 6 which is a horizontal section through the base along the line 9-45 of Fig. 3, and in Fig. 9, which is a horizontal section through the superstructure along the line 9-9 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4 and 6,

the base I has mounted therein bearings IQ for supporting a pair of vertical shafts or columns 20 which extend through the table 2 with their upper ends secured to the superstructure 4 of the machine to adjustably support it and the parts thereon. Threaded members 2| are adapted to raise and lower the vertical columns 29 when bevel gears 22 at their lower ends are rotated by means of a handwheel 24 on shaft 25 having bevel gears 28 thereon meshing with bevel gears 22. In this manner the superstructure may be raised and lowered to accommodate different heights of containers.

The motor for the machine and the reducing gears are carried in the base of the machine and comprise a motor 21 (Figs. 4 and 6) having. a pulley 28 carrying a belt 29 extending about a pulley 39 forming a part of the reduction gears 31. The motor is preferably slidably mounted as shown at 32 (Fig. 4) so that it may be moved toward and away from the reduction gears 3| by means of a handwheel 3-1 on shaft 35 which is threaded into the motor base. In this way a constant speed motor may be used and the speed of the machine varied by operating the handwheel 3-4 to change the position of the motor with respect to the reduction gears. A detailed description of the speed change mechanism is not necessary as it is a common form of drive sometimes known as a Reeves drive.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 5, means are shown for disconnecting the drive from the entire machine when excessive overloads are encountered to prevent breaking of parts of the machine. As illustrated in the preferred embodiment, the pulley 38 is connected to the reduction gears through the intermediation of a disc 56 secured thereto by a shear pin 31 mounted in bushings 38. When an excessive overload is encountered the pin 3? shears and stops the machine. This, of course, does not occur frequently and in such emergencies the shear pin may be replaced very quickly by removal of the disc 36 and inserting another pin.

The speed reducer 3| has a vertical shaft with a bevel gear 39 thereon meshing with a bevel gear 453 on shaft 4!. Shaft H is mounted in bearings 42 and extends horizontally through the upper part of the base of the machine in suitable position to be connected to other parts of the machine.

A worm gear ie on shaft 4! (Fig. 6) meshes with a gear 45 on shaft 36 carrying the star wheel 14. The star wheel preferably comprises two stars Ma and Mb mounted on the opposite sides of the member He and spaced a substantial distance from each other to retain the containers in upright position. A cover plate Md holds the keyed member Me in place.

A bevel gear 48 also on shaft 4] meshes with a bevel gear 49 on shaft 50 to drive the helicoid 9 through a chain of gears described hereinafter.

A gear 52 also on shaft 4| meshes with a gear 54 on shaft 55 to drive the conveyor 5 through the reduction gear 56 (Fig. 2).

A bevel gear 59 (Fig. 4) meshes with a bevel gear 60 on the vertical shaft 6| to drive the superstructure parts by means of a bevel gear 62 slidably keyed to shaft El and meshing with a bevel ear 64.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 9, illustrating a horizontal section through the superstructure, the bevel gear 62 on shaft 6| meshes with bevel gear 64 on shaft 65 for driving the pressure head 6. The bevel gear 64 on shaft 65 mesheswith a bevel gear 66 on shaft 51 which in turn has a gear 63 (Fig. 4) on its end meshing with gear'fil von shaft 10. The shaft 10 has a 45 degree angle gear meshing with a similar gear 72 on shaft M, which in turn has a 4.5 degree angle egar 15 meshing with a similar gear on the vertical shaft 76 to which the cap feed is connected at its upper end Tl (Figs. 4 and 10).

The shaft 10 (Fig. 9) also has a bevel gear is at its end meshing with a bevel gear 19 on a horizontal shaft 80 which drives the head spacer 11.

By means of the drive connections described generally above, the star wheel, the conveyor and the vertical shaft 6|, leading to the superstructure, are driven from the horizontal shaft 4! in the upper part of the base of the machine. The sealing head, the head spacer and the cap feed are driven from shafts 6'1 and W in the superstructure of the machine operated by bevel gear 62 on the vertical shaft 6!. The features of the drive for these several parts will be described in greater detail in the description of the respective parts.

Conveyor and helicoid The conveyor 5 may be of any suitable type, preferably composed of a series of plates as described in my prior application Ser. No. 579,671. Suitable sprockets 6 (Fig. 3) mounted at the ends of extensions '5, secured to the base, carry the conveyor, one of the sprockets being driven through the reduction gear 56 operatively connected to shaft 55 which is connected to the machine drive. The table 2 supports the conveyor as it passes through the machine so that containers placed on it are carried through the machine where the several operations are performed in the sealing of them.

It is desirable that the containers be spaced a predetermined distance so that they may register with the discs of the head spacer I1 and with the recesses in the star wheel M as they pass through the machine. A helicoid 9 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 7) is adapted to co-operatewith the guide rail 8, retarder l2 and bumper In to achieve this objective.

The helicoid is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 comprising a hollow member tapering slightly at its forward end as shown at 82 with a helical fin 84 extending thereabout. The helicoid is mounted upon a pair of swinging members 85 and. 8B. The swinging member 55 is mounted on a bolt 81 in bracket 88 and is held in proper position by a second bolt 89 mounted in a slot I06 (Fig. 1) in the bracket 83. The upper end of the swinging member 85 has a protruding bearing 90 extending into the tapered end of the helicoid. The opposite end of the helicoid extends over the end of a member 93 seated on the protruding end of the shaft member 92 keyed to a gear 94. The gear is held on the shaft by the bushings 95 bolted to the swinging member 86. The bushing 95 has a hollow center with a threaded member 96 closing one end and a pin 97 closing its other end, said pin having a cammed or inclined end 98 engaging the inner of two balls 99, the outer one projecting into a recess Iii!) in the member 93'. The pin 91 is forced into its outer position by a spring NH whose tension may be regulated by the threaded member 95. Should the containers jam in passing through the machine, the pin 91 will be forced back against the spring I0] and the upper ball forced out. of the recess I00 so that the helicoid will stop; Each time the ball'99 ensizes of containers.

gages the recess, pressure will be applied to rotate thehelicoid and if the resistance has been released :the helicoid will start again properly synchronized with the head spacer. If desired, a disconnecting means similar to that described hereinafter with respect to the head spacer and the cap feed may be utilized instead of the one just described.

The swinging member 85 is mounted about a hollow projection I02 fitting in a bearing I04. .A bolt I95 extends through a slot I06 (Fig. 1) permitting the member 86 to be swung in the bearing I04 about shaft I131. The bolt I05 alsocarries a gear I08 which meshes with gear 94 and I09. Thus the member 86 maybe adjustably swung in the bearing I04 without interfering with its drive.

The shaft It! has a bevel gear M9 on its end meshing with a bevel gear III onshaft I I2 (Fig. 6) which in turn has a gear II 4 meshing with a. gear II5 on shaft .58. The shaft 50 is connected to the motor drive by means of a bevel gear 49 thereon, and by bevel gear 48 on shaft 4|, which is the horizontal shaft at the base of the machine and which is connected to the motor drive through bevel gears 39 and M) and reduction gear 3!.

The mechanism described can be easily connected to the machine drive by a shaft at the center of the machine and permits the helicoid to be swung toward and away from the conveyor to accommodate containers of different sizes. Usually the larger containers have greater height and as the helicoid moves away from the conveyor the height of it increases, which is helpful in having its contact nearer the middle of the jars. The helicoid may be removed and replaced by removal or loosening of the swinging arm 5 and-may be adjusted in position by 'loosening the nuts 89 and I83.

A so-ealled bu-mper I!) (Fig. 2) facilitates entry of the jars'into the machine. Preferably the-bumper is substantially the same as that i1- l-ustrated silience and permit the containers to adjust themselves-inlmoving into the helicoid. Ag-ui-de rail 8 (Fig; 2) extends from the bumper through the machine-andis mounted by means of bolts I ifi-in' inclined slots II? for adjustment to and from the conveyor to accommodate different By reason of the inclined slots Ii'Tthe adjustments retain the 'rail parallel .to the median line of the conveyor.

A retarder #I'2'is mounted on the forward end of the rail 8 and may comprise a resiliently mounted member -I I 8 held in the position shown in Fig. 2 bymeans of a spring II9 effective upon the 'end thereofbeyond its pivot. The purpose of theretarder- -IIB is to offer a resistance to theimovement of each container so that the con tainer is. forced back into contactwith the fin on thefhelicoid. In this way the container will register accurately with the discs of the head spacer.

Theigui-de rail t preferably extends from the bumper It to the star wheel I 4 and from the star wheel past the pressure head of the machine. "A pair .of spaced guide rails I26 (Fig. 1) are mounted similarly to the guide rail 8 and extend on the helicoid side of the conveyor from the helicoid past the pressure head.

The *containers zientering the "machine engage the spring'fingers II of the bumper I0 and the forward end of the helicoid 9.

Any jamming between the containers and the helicoid will be relieved by the spring fingers moving outwardly. By the time the container reaches the end of the bumper It it is between adjoining fins of the helicoid. As it leaves the bumper IE] it en- Head spacer The features of the head spacer and its drive are shown more particularly in Figs. 9 to 13. The head spacer proper may be of the type shown in my prior application Ser. No. 579,671 and is not described in detail herein. The machine may be used without the head spacer as illustrated in Fig. 1, in which case the connection therefor may be closed over by a plate I3.

The discs I2I (Fig. 3) may be of rubber, metal or any other suitable material. Rubber has the advantage of minimizing the likelihood of damage to the containers in the event that a head does not register accurately with the mouth of the container. The head spacer is mounted in a cover or casting I22 having a projection I24 at one end fitting into a bearing I25 in the superstructure of the machine. This permits the casting I22 and the head spacer to be tilted about its rear end for inspection and in case a disc engages the rim of a container. The level of the headspacer is determined by a set screw I26 (Figs. 3 and 9) fitting in a bracket I27 and resting upon a projection I28. The drive shaft for the headspacer extends through the bearing in the protruding member I2 5 of the casting I22. One end of the shaft 8% carries a bevel gear 79 and the opposite end carries a sprocket I39 which is bolted to a disc or collar I3I (Fig. 11). The collar carries a pair of arms I32 (Fig. 12) pivoted at I34 with rounded projections I35 which may be in the form of rollers at their opposite ends. A second collar I3? forming a part of a bushing I33 has a pair of recesses I39 therein adapted to receive the rounded ends I35 of the members I 32. Suitable springs Mt hold the rounded members 35 in the recesses I39 under normal conditions. A suitable synchronizer I42 similar to that described in my said prior application may be utilized for synchronizing the head spacer with the drive; that is, changing the relative position of the shaft 8b with respect to the collar I31, or the same result may be achieved by loosening the nut HM and adjusting the parts and then tightening the nut Hid to hold the parts in position.

By means of the drive connection shown in detail in Figs. 11 and 12 and described above, the arms I32 will raise whenever excessive resistance is encountered in driving the head spacer and thus disconnect the head spacer from the machine drive. The tension of the springs I48, the depth of the recesses I39 and the shape of the driving end thereof are such that the arms will raise on an excessive resistance to operation. The recesses are spaced so that when the drive engages again after the resistance is removed the head spacer will be in synchronism with the containers; in other words, the movement of the head spacer discs in half a revolution of the sprocket will be the distance between two head spacers or a multiple thereof. The bevel gear 9- 79 on the end of the shaft 80 meshes with the bevel gear 78 on shaft 70 which is operatively connected to the drive of the machine as described hereinbefore.

Cap feed As the filled containers leave the head spacer, the discs have entered the containers and displaced a predetermined amount of the contents where the container is too full so that a definite head space remains in the container. The containers then pass to the station where a cap is placed on and pressed partially down on the container. The closures may be of the general type shown in the Norman N. Holland Patent No. 1,909,406 owned by the assignee of this application. The closures pass down a chute, as shown more particularly in Figs. 15 and 21, where the lower edge of the closure engages the rim of the container and the movement of the container pulls the closure out of the chute.

Before describin the preferred embodiment of means for placing the closure on the container, the mechanism for automatically feeding the closures to the position shown in Fig. 15 will first be described. It will be understood, of course, that the closures may be fed by hand or by any suitable type of cap feed, but the preferred embodiment has novel features rendering it particularly applicable for the desired purposes. The cap feed for delivering closures to the inclined guideway I50, shown more particularly in Fig. 16, while described herein, is claimed in a subsequent application, Serial No. 118,802, filed September 30, 1949, owned by the assignee of the present application.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 15, 16, 21 and 22, there is shown a chute I50 which preferably has at least a hardened bottom surface or is made of a hardened metal to prevent the edges of the closures from chipping pieces of metal from it and to prevent undue wear upon it. As the closure is dropped in the upper end of the chute, it slides down tothe position shown in Fig. 15. The details of the mechanism for feeding closures one at a time is shown more particularly in Fig. 16, which is a section of the upper portion broken away from Fig. 15. A stack of closures II is held in position by upright rods I52 with the bottom closures in the cylindrical recess I54 in Fig. 16. One edge of the bottom closure rests on the bottom of the chute I50 and the other edge of the closure rests on a latch member I55 having a sharp edge I56 at its end engaging under the edge of the closure as shown in Fig. 16.

When the latch member I55 is in the position shown in Fig. 16, closurescannot be fed by the device. When the latch'member is moved to ward the right, the edge of the bottom cap drops down to the rotary cutter I57 which has a tongue I58 adapted to slide between the bottom closure and the closure immediately above it so that the bottom closure upon further rotation of the cutter I57 will move down along the helicoid channel I Bl] until it drops into the chute. The bottom of the stack is held in position by the upper side of the tongue I58. Continued rotation of the cutter I57, until the latch member I55 stops the supply, will feed caps consecutively into the chute, one cap for each revolution of the cutter. lihe cutter is driven continuously by means of the 45 degree angle gear I 6! on shaft I62 meshing with a similar gear I64 on shaft I65 which is connected to a continuation shaft 55a at 7.63 to fi f ilitate removal ang replacement of the cap feed as a unit. The extension shaft I55a also has a 45 degree angle gear I56 (Fig. 14) meshing with a similar gear IBI on shaft I58 which is operatively connected to the cap feed drive 77 shown in Fig. 4 on shaft 76 connected to the horizontal drive shaft in the superstructure of the machine. I

It is desirable to feed the closures one at a time as each container approaches the closureapplying position. This is achieved herein by movement of the latch member I55 as each container passes a particular position. Referring more particularly to Figs. 15, 21 and 22, a lever I70 is shown pivoted at I7I having an inclined surface I72 adapted to be engaged by a container as it moves along the helicoid on the conveyor. When the container presses the lever I 76 outwardly the projection I73 on the lever engages an arm I74 on a vertical shaft I75 (Fig. 22) which in turn moves an arm I76 on shaft I75 to the right, pushing link I77 to the right and rocking a shaft I78 by means of an arm I79 thereon. The arm I88 on shaft I78 pulls the slidable latch member I55 to the right, releasing a cap at the bottom of the stack which is fed by the rotary cutter I57 to the cap chute, as described hereinbefore. The cap slides down the chute sufficiently fast to be in position when the container, which has tripped the cap feed, reaches the end of the chute.

For convenience in inspection. the cap feed is pivotally mounted on a shaft I82 (Fig. 16) so that it may be swung about this shaft for inspection of the interior of it after loosening the wing nut I84 and swin ing it out of its recess to permit the cap feed to be raised.

The shaft I75 has a pair of flat members slotted as shown at I85 and bolted together at I86 so that the length of it may be adjusted when the height of the superstructure is adjusted to accommodate different sizes of containers.

It is desirable to have a convenient means for synchronizing the cap feed with respect to the containers passing on the conveyor so that the tongue I56 will be in proper position when the trip and latch member are operated. A s itable mechanism for this purpose is shown in Fig. 17. The gear I64 rotates shaft I65 and is fixed on the shaft by means of a collar I88 having one or more teeth or projections I89 which bite into a part I 90 fixed to the gear I64. The threaded cover ISI maybe removed and the nut I 92 loosened so that the shaft I87 may turn reely within the gear. When the pro er relation of the parts has been determined the nut I92 may be tightened. which fixes the parts in the desired position. This is a convenient means of synchronizing the cap feed with the container trio.

In case the caps should jam, it is desirable that the cap feed be disconnected without disturbing the synchronism previously fixed. This is achieved by means of a device I94 shown in Fig. 14 which may be identical except for size with the overload device shown in Figs. 9 to 11 for the head spacer. In view of the identity of the parts, a detailed illustration and description are not believed to be necessary.

Cap placing means After the closure has been delivered to the end of the chute, as shown more particularly in Figs. 15 and 21, it is desirable to place the closure on the container so that it rests substantially flat on the rim thereof andforms a temporary seal on it. It is not necessary at this point that' 

